Josh Marshall: Prescient, Or Eat Your Words?

Nothing like a little new media joust on a Saturday afternoon in the fall. Josh Marshall on both Obama and Bill Clinton today at TPM:

Being president is hard. Being president two years into your first term is hard. And being at the center of the polarizing political storm — as Obama is today and Clinton was 16 years ago — tends to wipe the political genius and midas touch and all the other good stuff right off of you. 10% unemployment doesn’t make you look that good either.

This isn’t justifying any mistakes. But I’m surprised how short the memories are of many people who do this political analysis thing for a living.

Josh Marshall on then President George Bush at TPM, Oct 1, 2004 – short memories, indeed, or selective, perhaps. Then, again, maybe he was simply being prescient given where Obama finds himself today.

I think we all know that the presidency is tremendously hard work, even for a president like this one who keeps notoriously light hours. It’s amazing to look back at the way the office ages the men who occupy it. But worn out and complaining isn’t exactly presidential or an example of strong leadership. No one’s making him be president after all. Maybe it’s time to move on. He’s punched his ticket. He can move on to the next gig.